This week, I definitely have a change up for you on the podcast. It’s still being released tomorrow, but it’s not a reality TV person. However, in my opinion, it’s the most important podcast I’ve done. Tomorrow’s guest is Jenn Sterger. Some may know the name. Some may not. Some may know the story behind her. Some may not. However, this is the first time she’s ever given an extended interview regarding one of the major sports scandals we’ve ever had that she was the center of. If you don’t know the story, Google her. We get into everything tomorrow, and we explain the timeline of everything that happened along with the nuts and bolts of it. I already know some people have a preconceived notion of what happened, including her role in it. But it’s so much more than that. In the climate we’re in right now, I knew her message had to be heard, and having to go through what she went through years ago…I can’t imagine it. You can hear the pain in her voice to this day, even though this happened a while ago. I guess that’ll happen when your career is ruined and people doubt you for no other reason than your looks. Even if you’re not a sports fan, listen to it tomorrow. The topic revolves around sports because that was her line of work at the time, but the interview is so much more than that. Her message needs to be heard, and tomorrow for the first time ever, you’ll get the full story of what she’s dealt with as an attractive female in the world of sports television.

For those that didn’t know or don’t remember, here is the interview she did 8 years ago on GMA which is what the first half of the podcast centers around. Amazing to see that girl Jenn back then and the one you’ll hear tomorrow. It’s night and day. And she talks about the state she was in at the time of that interview and what surrounded it. I’ve gotten to know Jenn a bit over the last year or so, and the girl I’m watching on GMA right there is not the girl I know. But for a refresher on the basics of what happened, check that out. It’s not letting me embed the videos, but here are the two links to the 2-part interview:

You’ll get the full story tomorrow as that GMA interview was 2 hours long according to her, condensed down to 10 minutes. I don’t edit my interviews so we touch on a lot of what she went through, and in addition, a story that broke just a couple months ago in the Boston Globe, and how she was involved in that. Can’t wait for you to hear the interview.

As for the “Bachelor” world, the “Women Tell All” taped yesterday and I will have all your spoilers for you tomorrow. One thing I can report is that Kendall was not there, as I suspected she wouldn’t be. Just didn’t make sense for a girl to be there that is on the Overnight Date episode when that episode will not have even aired by the time the WTA airs. WTA airs Sunday night, Feb. 25th. Overnights air the next night on the 26th, with the finale the following week, March 5th. There’s one major thing to report from the WTA taping that I think might shed some light on things regarding Krystal. All that and more coming tomorrow.

Executive Producer Robert Mills joined Juliet Litman’s “Bachelor Party” podcast this week and basically had nothing great to say about Arie and the season. About as open and candid as you’ll get from someone who runs all of the Alternative Programming for ABC. Says the ratings are down, Arie was better on the “Bachelorette” and overall agrees with Juliet’s assessment that Arie has been boring. Well, he definitely didn’t argue her point. Kind of a big deal coming from a guy like him. But I’m sure the Arie nutjobs will dismiss it as nothing per usual. Take a listen:

As for “Winter Games,” I really didn’t think it was horrible, but is it gonna rack up Emmy’s? No. It is what it is. Just another way for this show to “produce” relationships, throw in some international contestants and challenges, cold weather, you’ve basically got BIP in the winter. But the ol’ standby is still there, and that’s some heavy editing. Here are some of the thoughts I had last night:

-The “Winter Games” national anthem was written by a local high school. Not sure how the people in attendance didn’t burst out laughing watching that.

-I told you Yuki would be the breakout star of the show. Sure, she barely speaks a lick of English, but I don’t think she cares. She seems to be having a blast. And of course the show knew. It’s not like she got off the plane and then they were informed, “Oh by the way, she doesn’t understand English.” They cast a non-English speaking person on an English speaking show. What did you expect? But the fact that the whole cast basically loved her, and the social media response was over-the-top positive before her, it’s funny. I got a kick out of her certainly.

-Talk about some heavy editing. The two instances I noticed the most were first Clare’s kiss with Benoit by the fire was clearly done on a loop. They kept showing the same small peck but from different angles to make it seem longer.

-At the cocktail party, the idea that the only names they ever really showed being put into the box were Josiah and Ashley pretty much guaranteed that neither of them were going home. And we were really given exactly zero reason why the five who WERE eliminated were actually voted for. Nothing any of them did on camera made you believe they’d be eliminated, so explaining those 5 eliminations was a head scratcher.

-Luke Pell has been seeing that girl Holly Allen for a few months now. Hell, he was with her before the show and again this past weekend. So I have no idea if it was just some sort of arrangement they had where he could go on the show and hook up with other girls or what, but it’s not a secret he’s been seeing Holly. Then again, “seeing,” “dating,” “hooking up” in this franchise basically means nothing. But just thought I’d point that out.

-Outside of maybe a couple contestants, every challenge will essentially be nothing but people falling on their asses. That’s where the challenge aspect falls flat. It’s not like these people are competing for money, or a prize, or anything for that matter. There’s ZERO at stake on this show. It’s just another way the franchise can capitalize on their success by putting anything with the word “Bachelor” in the title and people will watch. But lets not mistake ourselves that there’s anything important about being on this show. To win the title of being the first “Winter Games Couple?” Please.

-Ashley is quite polarizing. I’m over it, but I know a lot of you think she’s the greatest. She knows what she has to do when she goes on these shows, and that’s play a role. She plays it well, and that’s why they put her on. Doesn’t mean I have to like it, enjoy it, or think it’s remotely entertaining, but I know others do. To me, it’s just old at this point. But I get it.

-I’m honestly not sure what Ben was doing on the show. Well, other than they know Ben has a fan base, and by putting him on the show, they’re appealing to those people. But he certainly didn’t look like he cared to be there and was just doing it as a favor and to be on TV again. All of them are, but Ben has this persona that he’s above that, yet, his actions don’t quite match up with what he says.

-You’ve heard Lesley on my podcast. Great girl. One of my favorite interviews I’ve done. Such a great story. The Dean thing? Yeah, I don’t get it either. But hey, not my life. She’ll learn eventually because I don’t believe for a second that Dean has changed, or matured, or knows what he wants now. Please. Can’t believe people are buying his crap.

-Thank God this is only 4 episodes and will be over by Thursday of next week. They basically gave away the whole season in the preview of who gets with who and who wins. Not much mystery here. You’ve got your first two episode spoilers in last Wednesday’s post for episode 1 and yesterday’s post for tomorrow’s episode. I’ll have your episode 3 & 4 spoilers, plus your Tell All show taping (Friday) spoilers for you next week.

5 Comments

” Who ALL do you think are the most ingenuine or rather ‘not there for the right reasons’ ?”

What is this new word, “ingenuine”? Never heard it until TB.

The word is “disingenuous.” What I loved on Rachel’s season was that several of the bachelor suitors used the word “disingenuous” and used it correctly to describe certain contestants.

And for my money, they can leave in Tia’s cussing but bleep the “likes.” “I was, like, totally blindsided when Arie, like, told me that he, like, didn’t see a future with me…” Drives me crazy.

T M

February 14, 2018 at 5:20 PM

sorry, this Winter games version is ok, I suppose, but the opening with them all marching in a parade like they are somebody, and the crowd cheering like it’s an NBA championship parade, ugh, did those people get paid to wave the flags? And CH in his little booth giving his commentary? Please…

Just introduce the cast, like they do on the regular show, and forego all the pomp and circumstance, REALLY stupid…

rob22

February 15, 2018 at 6:34 AM

I watched it last night on the DVR. I’m unclear why RS said it wasn’t that bad. The opening parade with sterotypical images for each country was cringe worthy. The foreign vibe also did nothing for me. Just a bunch of people with accents, including one Canadian with an accent so weird that I wouldn’t have been able to tell it was Canadian if I wasn’t told his nationality. Let’s stick to oot & a-boot next time we go Canadian. And let’s face it. It honestly was not the best looking crowd the Bachelor has ever put together. To each his own, but….. kinda rough.

rob22

February 15, 2018 at 6:42 AM

Oh, and how did Hannah Storm come to be part of this train wreck? Either she figures she’s got enough cred to involve herself in something low brow & get away with it… or she really, really needs the cash. I know she did some work on a soap opera at one point, so certainly she’s willing to think out of the box. WAY out of the box.

sarahe

February 16, 2018 at 12:26 PM

I didn’t hate Winter Games, but my biggest complaint is that the cast was way too big. Starting off with 25 people, many of which we don’t know because they are from foreign versions of the show, just confuses me. They have a larger cast on BIP, but they gradually bring them in and they’re all people from the American bachelor, so we know who many are ahead of time. I also thought the opening parade was dumb and wish they had just had everyone enter the house and meet each other that way.

Otherwise, I don’t hate it. I appreciate that they get the stupid competitive parts over with quickly and instead focus on the drama and relationships in the house.

Also- rob22, Benoit is likely from Quebec, which is a French province in Canada. That would explain the accent. While most of Canada hates Quebec, the “oot and aboot” thing is not representative of all of Canada. Quebec is a rather large province, so it makes sense he was on there to me.